


Time Trigger

by OrionMoka



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: An Idea I Had, idk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:02:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24363253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrionMoka/pseuds/OrionMoka
Summary: “Sir, a moment?”Sephiroth stares. There is an infantryman to his side in the hallway. An infantryman speaking to him. They commonly find his presence too intimidating to do so, and it piques his interest.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 148





	Time Trigger

“Sir, a moment?”

Sephiroth stares. There is an infantryman to his side in the hallway. An infantryman speaking to him. They commonly find his presence too intimidating to do so, and it piques his interest.

“Make it brief, Strife,” he answers, catching the name swiftly from the uniform. Small stature, young voice. A fan that’s built up enough courage to approach him, perhaps. He doesn’t make an effort to interact with his fans, they’re usually civilians. They’re also usually screaming and it hurts his ears. This one is at least soft spoken.

“I’m afraid that’s unlikely, sir. Can you get me back to the infantry floor?” Strife asks as they’re walking. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble keeping up despite the height difference, but Sephiroth’s stride breaks upon hearing the question.

“You… are lost?” he asks with surprise. “There are maps posted at every stairwell. Turn left at the last intersection. If that is all,” he dismisses and begins to walk again. He doesn’t catch the exhaustion, or the disappointed sag of shoulders on the helmeted figure he leaves behind. He expects it to be the last he sees of Strife. 

He’s wrong.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Not two weeks later, in near the same hallway, he walks with Angeal and Genesis at his side, Zackary bouncing ahead of them on their way to the VR rooms for a training session. He hears the confrontation long before the others, but they pick up on it quickly as they round more corners, coming closer to the noise.

It’s an argument, at least a one-sided one as they can only hear one voice. It’s not screaming, but the tone is certainly angered. It’s a voice Sephiroth recognises, even if he can’t recall where. 

_“-don’t care what kind of greasy, slime-ball scientist asked you to drag me down there, and_ ** _you!_** _I’ve already told you and your boss_ ** _three times_** _that I_ ** _don’t want_** _to be a_ ** _Turk!_** _I’m just an infantryman!”_ The one sided conversation clears up as they round the corner. “ _Nothing you could say_ is going to change that,” the helmeted infantryman stands, sending a sharp kick to one of the two lab assistants on the floor. 

Sephiroth immediately reconsiders his first interaction with Strife.

In one hand is a medical syringe which he promptly stabs through the lab coat of the same lab assistant. He doesn’t push the plunger, just leaves it there sticking out of a trembling shoulder. To the left, also on the floor, is Reno, frozen with a grin on his face when his eyes show anything other than amusement. 

Representatives of both the Science Department and the Turks in one space, on the floor because of an infantryman, something isn’t as simple as it seems.

“I like him already,” Genesis says out loud, “Infantry, what’s your name?”

“I think the more concerning question is what exactly are you doing?” Angeal cuts in before Strife can respond, followed closely by Zackary. Surprisingly however, Zack seems to recognise the infantryman on sight.

“Spike? Shit, you didn’t tell me it was this bad! I would have asked them for help months ago! C’mon,” he throws an arm around the helmet, steering Strife back towards them, passing them in favour of the hall they’d just exited from. “Change of plans ‘Geal, I need you guys to meet someone. Back to the apartments it is!”

Genesis, it seems, has no issue with this and immediately joins at the other side, slipping an arm lower to wrap around Strife’s waist. “Wonderfull, we’ll convene in mine, I have a bottle of Banora Wine to open.” 

“No way! Spike is underage, you can’t give him alcohol!”

“Nibelheim’s drinking age is fourteen,” Strife offers softly, and Genesis takes that as green light.

“Fantastic! Have you ever had Banoran Wine? I came up with the recipe in my childhood-” Genesis continues on as they walk away.

Angeal stands in confusion watching the Turk, and eyeing the lab assistants.

All Sephiroth can do is offer a shrug when the confused glance turns to him and he’s asked “This is a recurring theme?”

~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Zack’s enthusiasm drops as soon as the door to the apartment is closed, and he’s frantically checking the infantryman over for what Sephiroth assumes to be signs of harm.

“Zack, I told you to let it go, I’m fine-”

“No, Spike, they could have dragged you down there, or worse Tseng could have gotten ahold of you, you’re not  _ safe-” _

“It’s not like they can actually harm me if I don’t let them-”

“But I  _ know _ you, you only let it happen when it’s instinct, you won’t actually use it on purpose unless you have to or it’s something harmless-” he cuts off as Angeal clears his throat, turning to find three generals watching the procession. “Right, guys,-”

“Don’t you dare-”

“Meet Cloud, the Science Department and the Turks are trying to recruit him because-”

“ **_ZACK!”_ **

“-He’s a Time Trigger,” Zack dodges as Strife,  _ Cloud, _ attempts to hit him over the head.

“You need help with this Spike, and you know it-”

“I had it handled! Besides, last time I asked for help he thought I was  _ lost!” _ an arm is flung in Sephiroth’s direction, and before he can question it the blond, because Zack’s pulling the helmet off to reveal soft spikes of platinum, continues with “They always try for that area, it isn’t used as much so less people see them arguing with me. It’s just tiresome to have to fend them off the whole time-” he goes silent as Zack lifts him up in a hug, the FIrst taking a deep breath to calm the last of his nerves.

Cloud stays silent throughout the hug, even after he’s set down and pushed down onto the couch. The blond catches Sephiroth’s eyes, and rather than maintain the eye contact, he sighs softly and falls to his side, rolling over to face the back of Genesis’ black leather couch.

“Zack,” Angeal tentatively presses, “I think we could use an explanation.”

~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~

“He’s a Time Trigger,” Zack repeats as they sit around the mahogany dining table in Genesis’ apartment, the blond resting on the couch across the room. “He controls the speed of life around him. He doesn’t like to use it, and most of the time it happens on accident, or it’s unintentional. The Science Department picked up on it when he failed the Soldier Exam as a cadet, and the Turks had already been watching him. I’m not really sure when they figured it out but Tseng’s been trying to recruit him all along. He’s obsessed.”

“I’m sorry, I think I’m missing something here. Triggers are folklore Zack, they’re not real-”

“Yes, ‘Geal, they’re real. Apparently Nibelhiem has one ever couple of generations. I wouldn’a believed it but I met him because of it. When I was sent to break up that fight in the cadet barracks. I came through the door everything was in slow motion except for him,” he gestures at the couch. Cloud Strife is now asleep, softly snoring, and Zack’s face softens when he catches sight of it. “He sticks out, with his hair, being so small and all. The other cadets had been ganging up on him. He doesn’t like to fight back but when it’s 20 to 1 and everyone’s bent on bruising you, yeah, it activated. I wasn’t affected because I wasn’t in the room when it happened, so when I got inside he was just… I’m never gonna forget it. Everyone is in slow motion slinging fists at him, and he’s just packing his bags. He was gonna leave and go back to Nibelheim.”

“I believe you, but I think I’d have to see it before I can understand what you’re talking about,” Angeal offered. Genesis seemed in thought, but the concept brought to light a small memory for the third General in the room.

“In the hallway, he asked me once to help him back to the infantry floor. I admit I assumed he was lost, but I take it he was looking for more assistance than he implied. I think however, that he may use his Trigger in subtler ways without realising it. He showed no signs of struggle keeping up with my pace despite his smaller stature-” Sephiroth could only blink as something soft hit the side of his head. Angeal and Genesis looked stunned, but it took Zack only a moment to put pieces together and start laughing.

His instincts hasn’t warned him of anything in the vicinity, yet as he looked down the pillow on the floor indicated it had indeed been thrown at him. Sephiroth turned in disbelief towards the once sleeping blond, now blearily rubby his eyes and sitting up on the couch with a mumbled “ _ ‘m not short,”  _ before a small yawn escaped.

“Ah, I should have warned you, he’s a bit sensitive about his height,” Zack smiled. 


End file.
